President Donald Trump Revokes John Bolton’s Secret Service Protection
Former National Security Advisor John Bolton told Fox News Digital that President Trump revoked his Secret Service protection after his inauguration on Monday. Bolton was previously granted protection by the Department of Justice in 2021.
Bolton has faced threats from Iran dating back to 2021, including an alleged plot to assassinate him and the Department of Justice charging an Iranian official for the plot in 2022. Trump had previously revoked Bolton’s security clearance in 2019, and Biden reinstated it in 2021.
When asked why he revoked Bolton’s protection, Trump said, “Because I think that was enough time. We’re not going to have security on people for the rest of their lives. Why should we?”
Bolton expressed disappointment but not surprise at the decision, stating, “Notwithstanding my criticisms of President Biden’s national-security policies, he nonetheless made the decision to extend that protection to me in 2021.”
The Iranian threats against Bolton are believed to be in response to the January 2020 US strike that killed Qassem Soleimani, the head of Iran’s Quds Force.
The decision comes after Trump’s criticism of Bolton, which included claiming he would have sparked “World War Six,” and calling him “one of the dumbest people in Government.” Bolton has also taken shots at Trump, stating he lacks “the competency to carry out the job.”
